Serious Australian thespian Sam Neill may be the biggest name in the charming, homegrown New Zealand action-comedy, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," but it's his younger co-star who steals the movie.

Julian Dennison plays 13-year-old Ricky Baker, an unwanted foster kid constantly getting himself into trouble until he's brought to live with the Faulkners, a couple who live out in the middle of nowhere. Bella (Rima Te Wiata) is a loving woman ready to care for Ricky, but her husband Hec (Sam Neill) is a grouchy frontiersman who has little time or patience for their new ward.

A sudden tragedy forces Ricky to run away from his new home, but when he gets lost in the Bush — the vast wilderness surrounding the Faulkner's home — Hec goes after him, only to get injured himself. With the two of them missing, Ricky's nemesis (Rachel House), a tough head of child welfare services who takes her job way too seriously, presumes Hec kidnapped the boy. The chase is on, as Ricky and Hec unwittingly become national heroes — and notorious outlaws.

Filmmaker Taika Waititi is mostly known for his work with fellow Kiwi, Jemaine Clement ("What We Do in the Shadows"), but "Hunt" is very much his own passion project. Although adapted from a Barry Crump novel not well known outside of New Zealand, it still maintains all the charm and personality of Waititi's earlier work.

Even before "Hunt" premiered at Sundance, Waititi had been hired by Marvel Studios to direct 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok," which just makes "Hunt" that much more special as his last New Zealand flick for a while.

The best thing the director has going for this one is the talented young actor playing Ricky Baker, as he constantly tries to emulate his tough "gangsta" heroes like Tupac Shakur. (He even names his dog "Tupac.")

It's such a fun character, especially watching how irritated Hec gets at him, with Neill playing the straight man of the duo. Along the way, they also meet lots of strange and equally funny characters including an unrecognizable Rhys Darby ("Flight of the Conchords") as an amicable nutcase named "Psycho Sam."

Julian Dennison and Sam Neill hit their mrks ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’

(The Orchard)

As much as young Julian Tennison is likely to capture your heart as Ricky Baker,

Rachel House — a popular actress in New Zealand — is often funnier by how far she takes Paula's unrealistic efforts to save Ricky from his "kidnapper." "No child left behind" is her misguided motto, and she'll do whatever it takes to put Ricky with a proper family, even if it means chasing him across the wilds of the bush along with military personnel and even tanks.

Possibly the most amazing thing about "Hunt" — besides its quirky and distinctive sense of humor — is how it starts off like a seemingly fairly small and intimate tale of a teenage boy adjusting to his foster family, then builds into a last act that even has some impressive car stunts.

Throw in a few "Rambo," "Terminator" and "Lord of the Rings" references —the latter even funnier when you realize how Waititi has been working in the shadow of Peter Jackson for years — and you end up with a fun boy's action-adventure flick on par with some of the best.

With its safe PG-13 rating, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is also the type of movie that could easily win the heart of any 11- to 14-year-old boy who will likely relate Ricky Baker.

It's a wonderful slice of New Zealand-bred humor that should have a far wider appeal than Waititi's previous films. More importantly, it gives Waititi one last hometown hurrah before he's elevated to directing Hollywood blockbusters, hopefully bringing all the wit and talent he displays here along with him.